Butter Chicken

Nearly a century ago, 2 best friends stared at a plate of dry, leftover chicken and had an idea.

They were working at a restaurant in Peshawar (modern day pakistan), and by simmering that leftover tandoori chicken in a creamy, spiced sauce, they accidentally created the famous dish we now call butter chicken.

After the trauma of the 1947 Partition, they fled to Delhi and built the iconic Moti Mahal restaurant from scratch. It’s said they worked together their whole life in harmony, but now their grandchildren have launched a massive lawsuit over who owns the invention of butter chicken.

There’s no records of the founders fighting over this when they were alive. I wonder what they would think of the chaos that their legacy has become.

As a daughter of a spice entrepreneur, I feel this deeply. I’ll defend my mother’s craft with everything I’ve got - her spice is a way for her to share our story with the world. But looking at this lawsuit, it makes me wonder - are we really protecting our heritage, or are we feeding our own egos on being ‘right’?

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Butter chicken is a dish loved by many across the globe. Its sweet, tangy, and just the right amount of spice. It’s an easy weekday meal, especially if you only have to use one spice blend.

INGREDIENTS:

For the curry:

• 2 TBSP OIL
• 1 spoon of butter
• 500 gms roughly cut tomatoes
• 150 gms roughly cut onion
• ( 1 medium size)
• 2 TBSP Tomato Paste
• 50 gms cashew ( 1/3 cup)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup cream
• Salt to taste

For the chicken:

• 1 1/2 lb Chicken breast 
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 TBSP Oil